MySpace dishes out content on TV, DVD

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NEW YORK -- As MySpace seeks to expand its original offerings, the company has signed an agreement with ShineReveille International to distribute content from the social networking site on the TV, DVD and merchandising ends.

ShineReveille, the merged distribution arm of Shine and Reveille, will have the rights to exclusively sell content like "Roommates," a MySpaceTV co-production with Iron Sink Media, to international TV and DVD outlets and overseas merchandising companies. MySpace retains the rights to sell its shows on all U.S. media platforms and on international Web sites.

The agreement was set to be announced Thursday at the MIPTV market in Cannes during a keynote delivered by Travis Katz, managing director of international for the News Corp.-owned social networking company.

"MySpace is essentially the world's largest focus group," Katz said Wednesday. "You can see what resonates with people and then take that content and blow it out worldwide."

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In addition to the shortform series "Roommates," which recently was renewed for a second run, MySpaceTV also co-produces the hidden-camera show "Special Delivery" with Avalon TV.

Katz said the company is developing original content in all 26 countries in which MySpace operates. Overall, he said MySpaceTV is "in discussions with hundreds" about content partnerships.

Original series that run on MySpaceTV and aren't produced by the social networking giant, including the Marshall Herskovitz-Edward Zwick production "quarterlife" or Vuguru's "Prom Queen," also would have the chance to join the partnership, Katz said. These would be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

MySpaceTV also is a distribution arm of Hulu, the NBC Universal/News Corp. joint online video venture, but Katz said the ShineReveille partnership is designed for original Web series.